


A Harry Potter Epic

by robotsnr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23363896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robotsnr/pseuds/robotsnr
Summary: Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts as a professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts! However, he faces a new challenge: the reanimated figures of past Dark Wizards, controlled by an unknown source. Can he unite the Wizarding World and prove himself as a hero once more?





	A Harry Potter Epic

Events start the month after the end of the Second Wizarding War, which ended in May of 1998. 

============================================================

June 2nd, 1998  
12 Grimmauld Place  
London, England

Greetings, Mr. Harry Potter.

I recognize that you have faced many trials and hardships in your extraordinary war against the Dark Arts and Voldemort, and that you have lost countless close friends and family members. I cannot help but express my immense gratitude for the way you tenaciously followed your own path in destroying the Horcruxes and devising a plan to eliminate the Dark Lord, even when the entire wizarding world was either lost or downplaying the threat. It takes a true Gryffindor to find this amount of courage inside himself, and I speak for the entire wizarding community in saying thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Unfortunately, the War against the Dark Lord, or as some call it, the Second Wizarding War, has left gaping holes within our community. Hogwarts has lost many of its most esteemed professors- Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin among them. We require drastic action to uphold Hogwarts’ tradition as the premier education for British wizards and witches, and that involves inviting our highest achieving alumni to lead our rebuilding as teachers.

I am inviting you to teach as the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. You will have full freedom in creating your own curriculum and classes. Dumbledore has mentioned to me that the curse against the position has died with Voldemort, so I expect that if you were to take this position, you could remain in it for many years. I have also invited your friend, Ms. Granger, to return as a professor in Transfiguration.

I know you have many, many matters to tend to, and many, many options in terms of careers. I personally have found my time as a professor to be the most rewarding of my life, and I believe many of my colleagues would say the same. I wish to hear your response by owl by the end of August.

Magically yours,

Headmaster McGonagall

Hogwarts Castle, Highlands, Scotland, Great Britain

=======================================================================  
June 6th, 1998  
12 Grimmauld Place  
London, England

Harry!

I haven’t heard from you since the battle with You-Know-Who. Are you alright? I know you have lost a lot and sacrificed a lot, and need some time to process it all. I would love to hear from you again, if you ever need someone just to listen! 

I’ve gone back home to restore my parents’ memories, and have been living with them now. They didn’t quite appreciate the magnitude of us winning the Second Wizarding War, but they got the gist of it. 

Professor McGonagall wrote to me inviting me to be the professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts! I surely did not expect this, considering we never technically graduated from Hogwarts, and I am not sure if I can fill in the shoes of one of the greatest Transfiguration teachers in history. Have you gotten any post from her? I am sure she has considered you for teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!

It seems like Ron has also gone silent. He hasn’t written to me, and I was wondering if he had written to you. I’m worried for him as well.

Feel free to Floo me at any time! It’s getting a bit lonely here, with mostly just Crookshanks to talk to. I’ve been reading up a bit on Transfiguration, learning quite a bit about the field. Maybe teaching would be a good path for me! Hope to hear from you soon! 

Your friend,  
Hermione  
2818 Adams St  
London, England

PS: I sent you this with my new owl, Angel, to give you some love. Hope you like him!

========================================================================

Harry glanced back down at his letters. They had been delivered by a large barn owl, and a smaller tawny owl. The tawny owl flew to Harry’s shoulder, and curled its caramel and white feathers inwards. It nipped at Harry’s neck affectionately, hooting softly.

“Ok, I get it! Do you want coins or something?”

The owl kept poking, and then wrapped his neck with both arms. 

“Hey, are you Hermione’s owl? You must be Angel!”

He nodded. Angel then sprang off and flew to Harry’s parchment, on the top shelf of his desk, shoved next to various trinkets and gadgets. 

The owl then grabbed the parchment with his mouth, and flew back to Harry.

“Oh, she wants me to write back!” He grunted, taking the parchment. He drew his quill and dipped it in a small ink jar. 

“Hey, Hermione.” He sighed, thinking back to all the moments they shared, the good and the bad, the simple and the trying. 

“I’m doing well, thanks for asking. McGonagall did ask me to be the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. I haven’t heard anything from Ron either. Thanks, Harry.”

Angel rapped his shoulder repeatedly, seemingly irritated.

“She wants more?”

Angel nodded.

“Jeez, okay. Tell her I’ll Floo her soon.”

========================================================================

Soon was the next day for Harry, resolved to break from his self-imposed chains of isolation. He gathered some Floo powder, and sat by the dusty fireplace, which hadn’t been cleaned since Sirius left. 

He directed his wand, and lazily muttered “Incendio,”

“2818 Adams Street,” He said into the flame. 

At first he saw only a large, prowling figure that could only be Crookshanks. She curled by the fire, snuggling in its warmth. 

Then another figure appeared, and waved excitedly.

“Hey Harry! How are you?”

“Hey. Uhm, I’m okay.” 

“You haven’t been replying to my letters! And you missed my Floo calls! Is something wrong? You look a bit despondent.”

“Hermione, I said I’m fine.”

“Okay…Anyways, I’ve already written back to Professor McGonagall, I’ll be taking the position! It’s gonna be so much fun, I’ll have my own kids to teach, and access to all the books at Hogwarts, and…” She said this all very quickly, her hands aflutter. 

“Books. Ya, great.”

“Oh Harry, you don’t seem normal. Tell me what’s going on, ok?” She tilted her head. 

Harry was just as tilted. “OK, let’s see. I always thought that killing Voldemort would patch up everything with my life. Make everything alright and fine and proper. I’d just fire off Expelliarmus a couple times, flick the Elder wand a couple times, and I’d feel nice and dandy.”

He was gasping for air, for words, for his emotions. “I’ve been getting these nightmares. I see my parents being murdered, a flash of green, followed by their collapse. I see Voldemort, stuck in some sort of purgatory, brutally mutilated. All he says is, ‘You did this to me.’ I see Sirius falling behind the veil, and I reach out to save him, but he’s gone. I see Dumbledore, but he’s floating lifelessly after being struck by Snape.”

She blinked, longer than normal, her eyelashes fluttering. “I can’t tell you why you’re having these dreams. But I hope- no, I know, that with time, you will get better, and you’ll be able to move on.”

“I hope so. I guess all we can do is hope.”

========================================================================

The tall and gaunt figure hovered by Harry’s bed, shimmering in the moonlight, partially translucent and partially refractive.

Harry stirred, feeling a slight chill in the room. 

“Huh? What’s going on?” He croaked.

“You must be forewarned, Harry.”

The figure had a long, crooked nose, pale white robes, and a pointy hat with silver stars. But most notably, he had piercing eyes, the type that seemed to divine all emotions from whoever they were looking at. 

“Dumbldore? But- you died. You would have passed on.”

“Indeed. My essence still exists in the next realm, yet I have been summoned by a dark force. It’s quite clear that I am not an Inferi or a ghost, for I have control over my actions, and I have regained most of my magical ability and skill.”

“Who? Voldemort?”

“No, he has passed on as well. Someone alive definitely.”

He glared straight through his spectacles and into Harry’s eyes. “When I was brought back, I was able to detect your magical essence, and tell you of this. But be extremely careful! The Dark wizard who revived me, and likely more powerful wizards, may be able to control them if he is a gifted Legilimens, or simply convince them to join their side. Imagine if Voldemort was brought back, with his immense and extensive magical ability. Imagine the chaos and destruction that could bring.” 

“You should join Hermione at Hogwarts. Although it is still in reconstruction, it will remain the most secure place in Britain. As for after that, I do not know how difficult your path will be. I am no Seer!” He guffawed, shaking throughout his incorporeal shape. 

“Good luck Harry. Although I know you have never needed it.”  
He passed through the wall and disappeared. 

========================================================================

Harry slowly walked to the staff table in the Great Hall, eyeing for familiarity. He spotted Professor McGonagall, and gave a slight wave. She lifted her hat, and said, “Greetings Mr. Potter. I’m glad you took the position.”

“Pleasure to be working with, I mean, I hope it will be a pleasure working with you.” He slightly stumbled, having caught his foot on his robes, and then continued on his way. 

Hermione excitedly waved from her chair, and stepped down. She was wearing a set of jade blue robes, stretching to her feet. Her hair was done in a bun, rather than her usual style of curls to her shoulders. Her hazel eyes were outlined by a light eyeliner, making her look more mature and impressive. 

“Harry! You came!” Hermione reached her arms out for an embrace, and Harry stood as he was encircled. 

“I’m so glad you chose to teach! I’ve already prepared all these notes for the semester, and all the homework I’ll be giving, and all the new teaching approaches and methods I’ll be trying this year! Of course, there is not much literature on teaching styles in the magical world, so I had to adopt some from Muggle books, and I’ll be trying to write a couple books on it for wizards!”

“So how have you been preparing?” 

Harry nodded. “Well, I’ve taken a few reads through the standard textbooks, and I’ve worked a bit on my defensive charms.”

Hermione paused. “You look a bit worried. I’m sure you’ll be an excellent teacher!”

“No, Hermione, it’s not that I’m worried about. I should have told you this before, but I saw Dumbledore over the summer.”

“Dumbledore?” She looked at him with a mixture of worry and pity, as if afraid he was losing his mind.

“Yes, I know he’s dead. He had been summoned, likely by a Dark wizard, into a form where he was partially transparent, but could still use his magical powers.”

“So like a ghost?” She asked. 

“But a ghost can’t touch anything or use their magic, they are just imprints.” He ran his fingers through his hair, scratching at the top of his head. 

“He also said that if the wizard was a powerful enough Legimens, he would be able to control these things, and make them do their bidding. Imagine if someone had control of Voldemort.”

“Harry, I’ve never heard of anything like this in anything I’ve read. It seems stronger than a ghost, more versatile than an Inferi, and easier to control than a person. Was he able to touch you?”

“Uh, he never did.”

“Well, we can take a look into it later.” Hermione pursed her lip, and went back to her seat. Harry sat between her and Professor Sprout, the portly, friendly Herbology professor.

A near-silence fell over the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall rose at the front of the room, wearing a grim expression. 

“I know everyone is nervous about the new school year, with so many of our lives disrupted or destroyed in the rise and defeat of He Who Shall Not Be Named. It might be a long time before we can live our normal lives, and my heart goes out to anyone who has lost someone close to them, whether it was a friend, a family member, or an acquaintance.”

“However, it is my greatest wish that we can continue to educate our young witches and wizards. If anything, the Second Wizarding War has reinforced my belief that educating everyone is the best path to a safe and successful community. We must become adept at Charms, Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts- in short, many different fields, if we wish to stop evil at its core, and prosper as successful wizards and witches. While I wish that I could wave my wand and make Dark Magic disappear, I cannot, and we must be prepared for any attack on our school and our personal safety.”

“Fortunately, we have two new teachers that will aid us in melding the minds of our next generations of wizards. First, Ms. Hermione Granger will be joining us as Professor of Transfiguration.”

There was a moderate amount of applause, mostly concentrated from the Gryffindor tables. Hermione stood, waving at her future students wearing a bright smile. 

“Also, Mr. Harry Potter will be joining us as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

Harry got up and meekly waved at the students. The room exploded in deafening applause, louder than any he had heard before, louder than after winning Quidditch matches or House Cups.

Suddenly, the air chilled, and the ceiling, meant to reflect the weather outside, became pitch black and stormy. 

A figure floated through the hall, and stopped in front of McGonagall. She was tall, with silvery black hair, and arced cheekbrows. The students who recognized her panicked, and hid underneath tables, or behind other students.

“Lestrange!” McGonagall hissed. “That’s… impossible.”

“The only possibility is our conquest of the wizarding race!” Lestrange yelled back! “Crucio!”

McGonagall convulsed in intense agony, falling to the ground. 

The professors, and some of the older students leaped into action. Soon, bolts of red and green were surging at Lestrange, striking her flesh. Curses and hexes and jinxes echoed across the hall: “Expelliarmus!” “Stupefy!” “Protego!” Yet Lestrange stood, cursing students and professors indiscriminately, and one by one, the Hogwarts forces fell.

A massive stream of fire shot out of her wand, and erupted into the Hall. The enchanted flame was moving on its own accord, with the forms of serpents and dragons and chimaeras reaching out and engulfing students, who instantly became nothing but smoke and ash. 

“We need to stop it, now!” Harry yelled, taking charge over his shocked colleagues. “Aguamenti!”

Spurts of water jetted out his wand, taming a few of the fire creatures, but the thick ropes of cursed flame roared on, destroying everything in its path. 

“Harry, it’s Fiendyre! It’s very difficult to control, and I don’t know how to defeat it!” Hermione hollered, sounding horrified.

Harry pointed at his throat with his wand. “Sonorus”, he muttered.

“Professors and older students, grab onto as many students near you and Apparate to the nearest point of safety!”

“You can’t Apparate off the grounds, Harry!” Hermione yelled. 

“Well, lift the anti-Apparation charm, will you?” Harry fired back.

She muttered at the ground, pointing around the room. “Harry, grab onto me, and as many kids as you can!”


End file.
